COMING SOON Multi-Dwelling Unit Buildings by HL Miller, Inc.
CAT 12 Apartments
Walking distance to Agua Caliente Casino, Sunshine Cafe, Luchador Brewing, Coachella Valley Repertory, The Roost Lounge, Mary Pickford Theatre, Desert Thai, Brunch 101, and sitting adjacent to the active Cathedral City Senior Center, Cathedral City LGBTQ senior housing, two churches, and a dental arts building is HL Miller Construction’s twelve apartment dwellings affectionately called, “Cat 12,” - coming soon to downtown Cathedral City, CA.
Cat12 will be a newly constructed, two-story apartment community offering a mix of 1 bedroom/1 bath apartments and 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartments, each with its own ensuite bathrooms and carport.
At the 2026 State of the City, the Mayor of Cathedral City shared that “in recent years, Cathedral City has leaned into events and place-making as part of its business strategy, tying civic identity to foot traffic, visitor spending and repeat exposure for local establishments. Programs such as Tastes & Sounds, the International Hot Air Balloon Festival and downtown arts programming, featuring the city’s first Cathedral City Festival of the Arts, have helped Cathedral City build a livelier public profile, one that can benefit restaurants, retailers and hospitality operators.”
Businessinsider.com notes that “in 2025, tourism in Cathedral City generated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual visitor spending and supported thousands of direct jobs, a reminder that even in a city better known for residential neighborhoods and auto dealerships, the visitor economy carries real weight.”
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
According to HL Miller’s President, John Lembeck, working with the city’s building and planning department has been a success, having purchased the property when it was in foreclosure from the previous owner and 50-60% completed. The city approved plans to add four additional accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to the property and the property sits in an opportunity zone in the Coachella Valley area.
In a recent interview with John Lembeck, he answered the following questions about the “Cat 12” development.
What do you want neighbors to see when they see this development?
I hope they’re applauding it. This property has been standing unfinished for three years. The bank had foreclosed on it and our objective is to partner with the city to come in here and we reactivated the permits and our plan is to complete the project and rent it out. It is in a great area of Cathedral City, in the downtown area, it is an area where there is a lot of construction and redevelopment going on.
How long has HL Miller been working in the Coachella Valley?
HL Miller has been in the Coachella Valley area for about seven years, but our parent company Citivest has been investing in the area for 15-16 years. We started back after the recession that hit us all in 2009, and our objective was to purchase homes that the bank had taken back, starting with homes that were in some state of disrepair, we would come and fix them up. After rehabbing them, we would either rent it out or sell it, and return it to the community in a much better fashion than when we first got them.
Who inspired you to do great quality work?
​I was fortunate throughout my career to meet some really, really good people and to have some great mentors. One of them that comes to mind today is a gentleman by the name of Gene. I met Gene when I was about 20-21 and I had just gotten started into construction. I was an apprentice of Gene. He was probably in his mid ‘60s at the time and was a journeyman carpenter. He’s one of those guys that whenever there is a problem on the job site, people would come to Gene and he would try to work it out with them. Typically he had some really great solutions and ideas.
One of the great things that I remember working with Gene was that no matter what the weather, Gene would show up every morning in a beat up old ranchero. He would have a pair of army fatigues on, pants and boots, and no shirt. *chuckles* I don’t care if it was freezin’ rain or hot out, he was there with no shirt. And he had sort of this southern drawl, slow talkin’ but he was just the neatest guy and I was fortunate enough to work with him day in and day out.
He taught me a lot. Although he was country and I was a little more rock and roll at that time, we just became great friends, had a neat friendship, and he was a really great mentor.
How have you worked with local vendors or subs?
We have been working with local subcontractors in the Coachella Valley for some amount of years.
One of the ways that we have been fortunate to find some really good subcontractors and vendors is when we go to the supply houses, the plumbing supplies, the electrical supplies, the building materials supplies, and you know we ask the people who work there, hey can you give us the name of 2-3 subs that they have that are good, quality guys and good character? We then meet those subs and go over the different scopes of work that we have and then try to find the ones with the best fit. We have been fortunate, fortunate to find some really good people.
It’s funny because when we talk to those suppliers, and then when we happen to talk to different trades people - you know, the different electricians and whatnot - the names of those subs will come up in conversation again. And so, say, we are talking to a drywall or stucco guy, and a guy’s name comes up in two or three different conversations we go, okay! This is the one we got to work with.
Please STAY TUNED about our work progress at Cat 12 in downtown Cathedral City, CA.
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Sources:
https://gpsbusinessinsider.com/cathedral-city-2026-state-of-the-city/